Buy (and Sell) Used

This is an obvious one, but it can make a huge difference — if you’re buying a recently released game, you could save $10 or $20. If it’s been out for a while, you could save even more. It’s certainly possible to get PS4 and Xbox One titles for $15 or $20 if you look in the right places. eBay, Amazon, and Craigslist are all good places to start.

Taking this route requires some patience, as recently released games don’t tend to hit the used market very quickly, and it takes even longer for their prices to go down to a reasonable level. But this patience can be rewarded with significant savings. It’s tough, but it’s worth it!

After you’ve bought and played a used game, it’s a good idea to sell it to someone else — not only does it help to put money back in your pocket, but it helps other people save money on gaming, too. The same places that you would buy games are also great places to sell games4 Ways To Sell Your Used Video Games With Ease4 Ways To Sell Your Used Video Games With EaseCurrently, with the newly announced Xbox One, there is a lot of talk about used games. Microsoft is talking about charging fees when a game is installed on more than one console, and obviously, this...Read More. You probably won’t make back all of that money, but even if you end up paying $20, that’s a great deal on a game.

You can also buy that use gaming consoles. Used-game retailers often have good deals on consoles that come bundled with games, and you can also find great deals on owner-to-owner sites like Craigslist. If you buy from another owner, be sure to test the console before you take it.

You can use the /r/GameBundles subreddit to get tips on the best bundle deals, and Indie Kings updates their list of game bundles on a regular basis, too. If you’re looking to buy a new console, you can also find some great bundles from retailers, though you’re probably better off buying a used console from another owner.

Watch for Game Deals

If you know where to look, you can find some really great offers on games. There are a few sites that keep track of video game sales, like CheapAssGamer, DailyGameDeals, and /r/GameDeals. Kotaku’s deals tag is a good thing to keep an eye on, too — it includes sales on other tech items, but games and consoles do show up regularly.

If you desperately want a new game, buying it around the holidays can be a good way to save; big stores like Best Buy and Target often offer good sales around the holidays. Even if the prices of new games don’t drop very much, you might be able to nab a gift card along with your purchase, making it a better deal.

Resogun, Infamous: First Light, Injustice: Gods Among Us, Transistor, Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, Rocket League, and Super Meat Boy have all been available on PlayStation Plus over the past couple years, and Xbox Live Gold has offered similarly popular (and cult-popular) games.

These subscriptions also often have discounts on full-price games, so keep an eye out for games that are on your to-play list. They won’t usually be cheaper than buying a used copy, but you never know!

Trade Your Old Games

When you’re done with a game, you could sell it and hope to get a good price, or you could trade it for another game with no cash involved. That’s what sites like Play ‘N’ Swap, /r/Gameswap, and Title Trader are for. Go out onto the forums, find someone who’s looking for what you have, and set up a trade. 99Gamers also has a similar system that uses points for currency.

People offer trades on Craigslist all the time, so that’s another good place to look. And if you aren’t having any luck online, try setting up a trading system with your friends — if you both buy one game and then trade when you’re done, you’ll both get two games for the price of one. Getting a lot of people involved will make it an even better deal.

How do you save money on games? Which websites have you found to be the best for buying and selling used games? Have you ever traded games before? Share your experiences and tips in the comments below!

Personally, I try to stay at least one generation behind, games are basically free at that point. Some people may find this extreme, but there's one other benefit: I've got five years of critical context to work out which titles are worth my time.

Yeah, I can definitely see how that would save a huge amount of money. I get a little too excited about new releases to be able to do that, though. :-) But having a lot of time to figure out which games you'll enjoy is a great benefit of that. I admire your discipline!

I envy that lack of awareness. I can't go five minutes without getting my face blasted full of "WOAH FALLOUT 4, IT'S GOING TO BE THE BEST GAME EVER DON'T YOU KNOW, HEY WHAT ABOUT ASSASSIN'S CREED, IT'S LIKE LAST YEAR BUT IT'S GOT A DIFFERENT SUBTITLE!!!!"

The loudest games are unfortunately the most played; though not always the best. This list could consist of 1 "genius tip" which reads "Don't buy Triple A games because they're never any good".

Justin Pot

November 9, 2015 at 3:27 am

Yeah I don't really read gaming news or anything, other than watching Zero Punctuation, but all he ever says is that games suck so it doesn't make me want to buy things.

Dann Albright

November 10, 2015 at 4:24 am

Yeah, I can see how that would make it easier to resist temptation!

Dann Albright

November 10, 2015 at 4:25 am

Frank, I wrote an article a while ago about the problems with AAA gaming, and for the most part, I agree with you. There are some great AAA games, but the best titles right now are smaller indie games. And that makes it easier to save some money.

frankmcfuzz

November 11, 2015 at 12:45 am

I might go read that article; sometimes I feel like the only person who realizes that every game being almost identical (sandbox, white male gruff-voiced protagonist, stuffed with meaningless collectibles and many craftable fanny packs) in order to sell well isn't the medicine that the gaming industry needs to cure its current sickness.

I usually have a good backlog of games to play so I rarely purchase a game on release day. I focus on games I already started, and will buy the game later on for cheap with all the DLCs bundled with it.

Yeah, buying DLC individually as they come out can be a pain, and it's much easier to get a special edition when it releases later. It's usually a lot cheaper, and the bugs are worked out. That's a big advantage to keeping a backlog—I hadn't really thought of it that way before. Thanks for your comment!

Dann is a freelance journalist interested in technology, health, and cognitive science. When he's not writing, he's almost certainly playing board or card games (or working on a forthcoming book about them). Follow him on Twitter at @dann_albright.